Heavy Traffic Temporarily Shuts Down FAO.com

It wasn't all fun and games at toy retailer FAO Schwarz when the company's Web site, FAO.com, went down Wednesday afternoon. Shoppers were unable to access the site for 30 to 45 minutes, says FAO spokesman Alan Marcus. He attributed the downtime to increased site traffic. "There was a little bit of a bottleneck." According to Marcus, a splash page appeared with an apology to shoppers, along with a toll-free number for order placement.

Internet professional-services firm MarchFirst, which helped redesign FAO.com for its August relaunch, is addressing the site's current needs. "We're working ahead to ensure we don't have any downtime from here on, or if this should happen again, to keep it to a minimum," says Marcus.

FAO.com was originally launched in 1995; FAO Schwarz enlisted MarchFirst to upgrade the site after its online sales for the 1999 holiday season outpaced the previous season by 158%. The relaunch included Allaire Corp.'s Internet business platform and features such as instant messaging applications from FaceTime Communications, allowing users to receive real-time information from customer service representatives on product pricing or gift suggestions.